Pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and other chemical are often applied to specific smaller targets as well as large fields. In the former situation, hand-held applicators can be used to bring the product close to the target and apply a quantity of chemical product to the target. Products in the form of a gel may be applied in this way using cartridges containing the product that are attached to the applicators.
Prior applicators often have disadvantages such as not being designed to avoid under- or over-application of pesticide, not delivering a controlled amount of substance, and/or difficulty in applying the correct amount of substance, resulting in product waste, increased product cost, or over use.
Mechanical pumping mechanisms are complex and expensive. They are prone to failure, or require specialized mechanical expertise to service, maintain or to repair them. This complicates both business operations for the user and risks pest management effectiveness in the event of failure during the application.
One such applicator is seen in U.S. Patent Publication 2013/0020350 to Gardos, et al. (“Gardos”). Gardos discloses an applicator using a powered motor to operate a push rod to push product out of the cartridge. The cartridge is mounted on the front side of the applicator. A trigger turns on the pump which pushes the rod into the product cartridge thus pushing out the product. Gardos does not allow for a measured application of a product because the product is emitted from the applicator as long as the trigger is held. In addition, the cartridge is held by a complex holding mechanism that must be disassembled and reassembled when an empty cartridge is replaced. Additionally, because the push rod is motorized, the applicator is likely to be expensive to assemble and purchase.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,900 to Hornsby, et al. (“Hornsby”) discloses an electrically powered pump delivery system in which a gear pump is used to eject liquid substances, e.g. insecticide or cleaner, onto a target. The gear pump and electric power source, such as a battery, are enclosed within a gun shaped housing. Similar to Gardos, Hornsby does not provide for the delivery of a consistent quantity of liquid onto a target as the trigger may be held and the pump operated for varying lengths of time. Thus, the Hornsby delivery system is not particularly useful when a consistent quantity of product is required to be delivered onto a target. In addition, the electrical power system and the complex gear pump tend to make manufacture and assembly of the disclosed delivery system comparatively more expensive than similar devices that are purely mechanically driven.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,623,427 to Gilpatrick, et al. (“Gilpatrick”) discloses a chemical injector for a spray device. The device is attached to a water hose and includes a container for the chemical to be injected. The trigger controls the delivery of water which mixes with the chemical and ejects a combined water-chemical solution. This device has the disadvantage of being tied to the water hose and also requires both manipulation of the trigger for the water and a separate control for the chemical container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,795 to Barton, et al. (“Barton”) discloses a fluid delivery system. The Barton device is gun-shaped but lacks a typical trigger. It is activated by pressing two recessed plates that activate a circuit to power the system. The device is connected to an electric line that is connected to a control system. Like, the Gilpatrick device, the Barton device is limited in range as it is connected to an electric line that is ultimately connected to a work station. Similar to Gardos and Hornsby, Barton does not provide for the delivery of a consistent quantity of liquid onto a target as the recessed plates may be held and the pump operated for varying lengths of time. Thus, the Barton delivery system is not particularly useful when a consistent quantity of product must be delivered onto a target.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,686,976 to Ramsdell, et al. (“Ramsdell”) depicts an airless, variable metered applicator that delivers a substance using a syringe container with a gun shaped applicator. While this device possesses improvements in the field, further advances and improvements are desired in the field.
Therefore, there continues to be a need for an applicator-cartridge assembly that enables application of a specific amount of product, is inexpensive to assemble, and allows for the accurate delivery of a particular amount of substance to a particular target.